Loehr v. Supreme Assembly of the Equitable Fraternal Union
Loehr v. Supreme Assembly of the Equitable Fraternal Union
Opinion of the Court
The main question presented by the assignment of errors involves the sufficiency of the proof to entitle
This application was passed upon by the supreme medical examiner of defendant, and the benefit certificate or contract sued upon contained a copy of the application, together with a condition that it was “made in consideration of the written and printed application and medical examination for membership in this association with the'agreements, statements, and warranties therein contained, which are hereby made a part of this contract.” This benefit certificate was accepted by the insured in writing as follows: “I accept this contract on the conditions named therein. Mathias Loehr;” and remained in his possession until he died upwards of two months after it was accepted. It was also established that the insured, Mathias Loehr, had several severe attacks of iu-'flaimnatofy rheumatism béfore the issuance of the certifi
The plaintiff proved on the trial that in September, 1904, when the local physician examined the insured and took his application, he told him his health had always been good, with the exception that a year before he had been up north hunting and came back, contracted a cold, and got bunged up with grippe and rheumatism, but said he had gotten all over it. There is no evidence that insured made any statement about the attacks of inflammatory rheumatism in 1901 or 1902, or of any other illness except that of 1903. The finding of the jury that insured informed the examining physician that he had had rheumatism obviously was based upon the evidence of the 1903 illness, because there is no evidence that the insured informed the examining physician or any agent of the defendant of any other illness. Nor is there any evidence that defendant or any agent was informed that the attack in 1903 was inflammatory rheumatism, or that it was severe — simply a cold, grippe, and rheumatism. The witness said he thought Loehr said it settled into rheumatism. The supreme medical examiner of defendant testified that defendant had never accepted applicants who had suffered from attacks of inflammatory rheumatism, and would not have passed Loehr knowing the facts. There is no evidence that defendant or any of its officers ever knew prior to Loehr’s death that he had inflammatory rheumatism or that he had any illness before 1903. And it is established that the insured had the two. severe attacks of inflammatory rheumatism in 1901 and 1902, and that inflammatory rheumatism is a dangerous and infectious disease, often producing diseases of the heart.
The local examiner had no authority to pass upon the ap
Passing the question of whether the defendant was bound by the alleged statements which it is claimed-by plaintiff were made by the insured to the local examiner respecting illness in 1903, and which are contrary to the application, the evidence is undisputed that the insured did not tell half the truth. His statement, according to the plaintiff’s own evidence, of the 1903 illness was misleading. Besides, he suppressed wholly the facts respecting the serious attacks of inflammatory rheumatism in 1901 and 1902, which were most material, and if known would have prevented him from obtaining the contract. It is not even claimed by plaintiff that the local examiner or the defendant had any knowledge of these attacks. So it is established without dispute that the insured withheld and suppressed facts known to him affecting the risk and made false statements in the application, and thereby upon well-settled principles forfeited all rights of himself or his beneficiaries. Baumgart v. Modern Woodmen, 85 Wis. 546, 55 N. W. 713; McGowan v. Supreme Court I. O. of F. 107 Wis. 462, 83 N. W. 775; New York L. Ins. Co. v. Fletcher, 117 U. S. 519, 6 Sup. Ct. 837.
By the Court. — The judgment of the court below is reversed, and the cause remanded with instructions to enter judgment for the defendant.
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